Cayuga Lake, Glacial lake near Ithaca, United States

Cayuga Lake is a glacial lake in central New York that stretches for many miles through rolling countryside. The water is deep and cold, with steep slopes dropping down on both the eastern and western shores.

The Cayuga Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy lived around this lake for centuries before Europeans arrived in the region. They relied on the water for food and transportation, making it central to their way of life.

The lake is named after the Cayuga people, whose name translates as "People of the Great Swamp"; they were one of the founding nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Cornell University's official song, "Far Above Cayuga's Waters," describes the campus at the southern end. Rod Serling named his production company Cayuga Productions while making The Twilight Zone, and his family kept a summer home on the lake.

Public parks and boat launches are spread around the lake, offering various places to enter the water for different activities. Plan to visit during warmer months when water conditions and weather are most suitable for outdoor pursuits.

Cayuga Lake supplies drinking water to communities such as Lansing, on the east side near the southern end, which draws it through the Bolton Point Water System. Cornell University's lake source cooling system, operating since 2000, pumps cold water from the depths to cool campus buildings.